Folding horse.



No. 835,97 7. PATENTBD NOV. 13, 1906.

' L. NOLAN;

FOLDING HORSE.

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No. 835,977. Q PATENTED NOV. 1a, 1906. Y

L. NOLAN, POLDING HORSE.

APPLICATION YILEDTB'B #2. 1906.

2 Quins-sum 2.

WITNESSES:

A TTOHNE Y8 UNITED STATES FATENT rrrcn.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LAWRENCE NOLAN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of New York, borough of Manhattan, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Folding Horse, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to horses or trestles such as are used by artisans and workmen for supporting scaffolds.

The object of the invention is to produce a structure of this kind which is simple of construction and which may be folded into compact form when not in use or for transportation and which may be readily opened and set up when desired.

The invention consists in the construction and combination of parts to be more fully described hereinafter and particularly set forth in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a perspective showing the horse set up ready for use. Fig. 2 is a perspective showing the horse in its folded condition. Fig. 3 is a cross-section taken in the plane of the line 3 3 of Fig. 1. This view illustrates the construction and arrangement of the main joint of the horse, together with abrace, which constitutes a feature of the invention. Fig. 4 is an elevation in section, showing the upper portion of two of the legs of the device and means for connecting same. Fig. 5 is a perspective showing a partly-formed clip which is used to connect the bars shown in Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is an end elevation showing the manner of attaching two of the other legs of the structure, and Fig. 7 is a perspective showing the joint and the brace referred to above.

Referring more particularly to the parts, 1 represents the body of the horse, which is formed of two Aframes. One of the A- frames is formed of two legs 4, which are attached together by means of a bolt 5, as indicated in Fig. 6. When the horse is set up, as indicated in Fig. 1, the lower extremities of the legs 4 are spread apart, as shown.

Referring especially to Fig. 6, the connecting-bolt 5 may be a rivet, as shown. This bolt or rivet ispreferably curved slightly, as shown, in the plane in which the legs may be Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed February 2, 1906. Serial No. 299.176.

Patented NOV. 13, 1906.

spread apart. Between the upper extremities ofthe legs 4 on the bolt 5 there is attached a connecting-bar 6. In order to make a secure connection between the bolt 5 and the legs 4, I provide clips 7, as indicated in Fig. 6, which are bent so as to engage the side edges of the legs and so as to form rudimentary sockets 8, receiving the same. The bodies of these clips are formed with bosses 9, through which the bolt 5 passes, as indicated. A similar clip 10 is used for securing the bar 6 in position. From this arrangement it will be understood that the legs 4 may be readily spread apart, and the bar 6 may be rotated upon the bolt 5 as a pivot. The legs of the other of the A-frames are connected together near their upper extremities by a joint 12, as shown in Fig. 4.

Referring especially to Fig. 4, I provide bracket-plates 13, the upper portions whereof are formed into rudimentary sockets 14 to receive the upper extremities of the legs 11, as shown. The bodies of these plates are attached to the inner or adjacent faces of the legs and are provided, preferably, with nibs 15, which penetrate the wood, so as to increase the security of the fastening, as will be readily understood. Near their lower extremities the bracket-plates 13 in their outer faces are formed with oppositely-disposed recesses 16 of circular form, and these recesses receive and hold in position a tubular rest or sleeve 17. Through this tubular sleeve 17 and through the plates and the legs a bolt or rivet 18 passes. The recesses 16 are formed most conveniently by forming an in wardly-projecting lip 19 on the face of the plate. In this way a joint is formed which while it operates to hold the legs securely together prevents undesirable rigidity. The flexibility of this joint will be described more fully hereinafter. On the inner faces of the bracket-plates 13 spurs 20 are formed, which project toward each other, as indicated. These spurs preferably taper slightly, as shown, and terminate in reduced tips 21 for a purpose which will appear more fully hereinafter. The sockets 14, referred to above, are preferably formed by providing the bracketplates 13 with laterally-projecting wings 22 which are bent in substantial parallelism, so as to form a socket, as will be readily understood. The blank of which the bracket- ,plates are formed is illustrated in Fig. 5. At

the lower portion of each plate wings 23 are provided, similar to wings 22, which are IIO bracket-plates.

, at substantially their middle points by joints 25. The construction of these joints is shown most clearly in Fig. 3. Each joint comprises a clip 26, similar to the clips 7 described above, which are attached to the outer faces of the legs 4. Through this clip and through the legs 4 bolts or rivets 27 pass, which constitute pivots, enabling the two A-frames to rotate one upon the other. The clips 26 are connected at their sides by means of a brace 28, formed of two sections or links 29 29", which are pivoted together at 30 and pivoted to the clips 26 at the points 31 and 32. It will be understood that this brace 28 is adapted to be forced into its extended posi tion, so as to maintain the legs of the two A- frames apart, as indicated in Fig. 1. I

The construction of the joint 30 between the links 29 229*, which constitute the brace, is shown most clearly in Fig. 7. Referring to this figure, it will be seen that one of the links (specified by the numeral 29 is offset laterally beyond the pivot-bolt 30, which connects the links and is formed on its lower edge with a notch or recess 34. In this way the projecting extremity 35 of this link 29 is thrown into the plane of the opposite link 29*, and this link 29 is formed with a corresponding notch 36, which lies opposite to the notch 34 aforesaid. With this arrangement the construction is such that when the links are forced substantially into the same straight' line the notches 34 and 36 engage each other, so as to lock the bars in an extended position. In this way it will be understood that the edges of the notches will not engage until the links have moved beyond their central position. With this arrangement the links tend to move in the same direction in which they are forced in looking them, and hence they maintain themselves in position in a wellknown manner.

At a suitable point on the bar 6 I provide the same with a plurality of openings 37. These openings are adapted to be engaged by the spurs 20 in the manner indicated in Fig. 1, while the bar 6 rests upon the sleeve 17, as shown.

In setting up the horse it will be understood that the A-frames are opened out upon their pivotal connections 25, while the brace 28 is allowed to remain folded-that is, the legs of the two A-frames lie close together. When the bars are in this relation, the upper extremities of the legs 11 occupy substantially the relation shown in Fig. 4. The bar 6 will then be slipped into the space between the spurs 20, so that the one of the openings 37 In order to facilitate the passing of the bar 6 into the space between the spurs, it may be necessary to press the bodies of the legs 11 together near the joint 12, so that the spurs are forced slightly apart. When the legs 11 and the spurs 20 resume their normal positions, the clips 21 will move inwardly sufliciently to engage the bar 6 and support the same. The brace 28 is then extended in the manner described above by forcing its links into the same straight line. In extending the brace 28, as described, the legs 11 of one of the A-frames are forced apart below, carrying spurs 20, are forced together. In this way the extremities of the spurs 20, near the reduced tips 21, press thesides of the bar 6 and lock the same against lateral movement.

In Fig. 2 the device is represented in its folded condition. When in this condition, the brace 28 is knocked down or folded and the lower ends of the legs 4 are rotated upwardly until they lie near the joint 12 in the space between the legs 11, and the bar 6 is folded around in an outward direction, so as to comebetween the legs 4, as illustrated. Attention is called to the fact that in opening up the device to set it up it may be opened in either direction, so that the brace 28 will be forced either downwardly or upwardly to lock the same. This feature is advantageous, as it does not necessitate specialdirections for setting up the horse.

By having several of the openings 37, as shown, the frame of the horse may be adjusted so as to support the bar 6 at different heights, as will bereadilyunderstood. When the brace 28 is extended as described, the feet of the A-frames are held at a substantial distance apart, so that a broad base for the structure is made, tending to prevent the same from being readily upset. It should be understood that two or more of these horses are used in the usual manner, boards or rails being laid upon the bar 6, so as to form a scaffold or platform in a well-known manner. In one aspect the entire structure below the bar 6 may be considered a folding frame.

Having thus described my invention, I

clips 21 will engage while their upper extremities,

IIO

claim as new and desire to secure by Letters tral line thereof, whereby said spurs may engage said openings with either edge thereof resting upon said connection.

2. In a folding horse, in combination, an A-frame comprising a pair of legs and a joint connecting the same near the upper extremities thereof, a second A-frame pivotedly attached on the inner side of said first A-frame, an extensible brace disposed between the legs of said first A-frame, a bar attached to the upper extremity of the said second A frame and adapted to rest upon said joint, the upper extremities of said legs beyond said joint having spurs for engaging said bar, said bar having a plurality of openings engaged I 5 In testimony whereof I have signed my 20 name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

LAWRENCE NOLAN. Witnesses:

HENRY BAUMGARTNER, MATHIAS STATTLER. 

